HOUSTON — More than a dozen gaming rooms across southeast Houston and into Galveston County were shut down Tuesday after a coordinated series of raids by FBI agents throughout the day.
KHOU 11 sources said the raids are connected to a sweeping investigation involving the corruption of public officials. As of Tuesday night, we haven't been able to confirm on the record the public officials being investigated or their possible connection to the gaming rooms.
In all, 17 game rooms were raided. KHOU 11 reporter Matt Dougherty was at one of the raids -- this one in southeast Houston at a blue warehouse along Market Street in Houston's Fifth Ward.
It went down at about 4 p.m. when plain-clothed federal agents were seen walking in and out of the building. Eventually, gaming machines were wheeled out of the warehouse and loaded onto 18-wheelers.
At the same time, a similar situation was unfolding across other parts of town. We saw law enforcement carrying boxes of evidence and at least three gaming machines were taken out of Star Video on Broadway Street near the Gulf Freeway.
Customer Beatriz Lopez said she was playing one of the machines when the feds showed up and walked in the door. She said they told her to put her hands on top of the machine and then questioned her. Lopez said she goes there often to play the machines for entertainment and to relax. She said the woman in charge pays you cash on the spot if you win and Lopez said she's won as much as $600.
An employee at a nearby restaurant said they saw law enforcement at the same location about three months ago.
Happening at the same time as the raids in Harris County, more raids were happening in Galveston County at the Big Easy Game Room on Oak Street in La Marque and the Jungle Den on Highway 6 in Hitchcock.
In an emailed statement, the FBI's Houston Field Office said the raids were part of a "sweeping court-authorized operation." They went on to say that they couldn't give out any more information.
It's unclear if anyone was arrested as part of the raids.